Inviting young people to have fun and get involved in the work of California Wildlife Center (CWC)- dedicated to emergency rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured, abandoned or sick native wildlife and marine mammals. Learn how you can help our native wildlife!

WELCOME to CWC's Youth Wildlife Rescue Blog

CWC's Youth Wildlife Rescue Blog invites young people to have fun and get involved with the work of California Wildlife Center whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured, abandoned or sick native wildlife and marine mammals from the greater Los Angeles area. Come and get involved yourself or with your school and help our local wildlife. The Wildlife Center has taken in 19,000+ wild animals since its opening in 1998 and relies solely on public donations and grants. CWC is located in a quiet part of the Santa Monica mountains in Calabasas. Please visit our website at www.californiawildlifecenter.org for more information. We look forward to hearing from you on this blog!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

This graceful tree-dweller grows up to a length of 24 inches, including the long bushy tail. Tree squirrels do not have cheek pouches like ground squirrels, but have the same squirrel toe pattern - four toes on the front feet and five larger toes on the hind feet. The coat is overall gray above and white on the underside. The tail has white tips to the hairs.

The gray squirrel eats mostly acorns, but feeds on other nuts and seeds and in the spring, new leaf buds. The squirrels live in tree cavities or in a nest of twigs, bark and leaves built far out on the branch of a large tree. They can be seen looking for food in trees or burying nuts in the ground during the day. It does not hibernate in the winter as do some ground squirrels. Most of the squirrels we see here are fox squirrels. They originated on the East coast and were imported here. Gray squirrels are native to our area, but have been driven out for the most part by the more aggressive fox squirrels.

This little guy was brought to us from the Pt. Dume area of Malibu. He was very dehydrated and weak. He receives feedings every 4 hours and is doing well with them. We'll keep you posted on his progress!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Linda Johnson would like to remind us all that "when we poison the environment, it flows through the food chain of which we are a part." She's talking about when people put out poison to get rid of pests, such as rats and mice. What are pests to some people are food to lots of wildlife and we need to remember that. CWC receives many animals that have secondary poisoning because they have eaten rats or mice that have been poisoned. These include owls, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, etc. This poisoning makes them very sick and sometimes they die from it.

The sticky glue trap is another method you might want to think twice about. Linda states, "It not only targets rodents, but non-target animals such as frogs, birds, lizards, etc." The traps are baited with seeds, so a bird or lizard could go over to investigate and be caught as well. Once something is stuck on the traps, it's virtually impossible to remove them and they die a very slow death.

Linda suggests an alternative to both of these methods. "Keep food and trash in tightly lidded containers. If you have to eradicate pests, use Hav-a-Hart traps, which are the catch and release method." Let's help keep our wildlife safe and healthy!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Mia (6years old) and Jordan (4 years old) Brookenthal found a way to help our native wildlife, "even though we are too small to help carry the animals or feed them or capture them for rescue." They raised over $1000 with their recent mail campaign so CWC can keep rescuing and helping the animals. Last spring they also collected donations of much needed supplies on our wish list. Mia and Jordan are such good examples for everyone. They set a goal and with hard work, they accomplished it. You girls are Wildlife Heroes!

Jessica is 13 years old and an avid painter. She has been helping out at CWC since she was 9 years old. Her expertise is in Art and for the last two years, she has painted art pieces for our Silent Auction at The Wild Brunch. Thank you Jessica for setting an example for other kids and finding ways to help wildlife by generously donating your artwork. Oscar winning actress, Mira Sorvino is the proud owner of both pieces! Jessica is a true hero for Wildlife!

RELEASE ALERTS! Watch this space for upcoming release information

NEXT RELEASES

Our 5 rehabbed fawns were released in November, 3 at the California Wildlife Center and 2 in San Diego County. The videos are up in our Post section. Check them out!

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND AN ANIMAL THAT NEEDS HELP

DON'T TOUCH!The first rule, if you see an injured animal or bird, is not to go near or touch it. Immediately get an adult to help you. They can read our guidelines on how to help different birds and animals here. Or they can call :Emergency Hotline: 310-458-WILD(9453)OR CALL THE CWC HOSPITAL ON 818 591 9453

HOW YOU CAN HELP OUR NATIVE WILDLIFE

California Wildlife Center runs entirely on public donations, and needs your help to keep it's hospital and Baby Care Unit going.You can help by:- Being part of our youth fundraising team drawn from schools around the area. Contact rescuecwc@californiawildlifecenter.org if you are interested in getting involved.- Contributing items from our wish list, things the animals need to help their recovery. You can find them here (Baby care wish list)- Creating a fun event at your school or club to raise funds for CWC. Some ideas include holding a car wash, lemonade stands, organize a school-wide collection of needed items, picnic's, rummage sales, runs and walks.If you have an idea and want to get started, contact our youth Fundraising team on admin@cawildlife.org

Ducklings Ahoy!

These little ducklings have found a cosy spot on a gentle pair of hands to set them on their way after they became separated from their mother. Once they get older, and able to look after themselves, they will be taken back to where they were found, and released.